Rinai Longs from the Sky

Teach Me How to Worship Your Lord

Saving is necessary, but not everything. Remember to always give a gift to yourself for the struggle that has been passed.

---

Helen was too late again. When his partner started to work, he was still fixing his makeup. The reason, Bian also most do not like if his employees enter the shift in a condition not fresh.

Helen stayed in front of the mirror longer than usual. The make up made Rana suspicious. When Helen came in haste earlier, Rana caught a glimpse of a bruise on her forehead. Sure enough, he tried to cover the bruise, although it still looks vague. Rana was more and more convinced that something was wrong. But Rana chose to keep her curiosity until the break later. During working hours, he must be professional, as much as possible avoid chat that has nothing to do with work.

During the break, Rana accidentally asks one of his colleagues in the sales area, while he and Helen eat first in the back. Bian is out. He seemed to be in a hurry after receiving the call. The absence of Bian does not mean that Rana is free to do as she pleases, but at least the atmosphere becomes more comfortable and conducive to finding out what Helen is hiding.

"Emm .. the smell is so good," praised Helen as she opened the lid of her rice box. "Buy in a regular place, huh?" tanyanya.

Rana only nodded as Helen turned her head for an answer. Rana understood, Helen tried to be cheerful as usual. Nevertheless, his movements still look awkward.

Rana chose to settle some of the questions that had been pecking in her head. He waited until they finished eating. Chatting too seriously while eating is not good, while they need enough nutrition to live the rest of the working hours.

"Why's your silence?" rana finally asked after Helen finished eating and just downed half the contents of the bottle of mineral water in front of her.

Helen's face suddenly stiffened. He also seems to have trouble focusing his gaze on a single point. Very obvious he wants to avoid.

"I go first, yeah. Ranti must be hungry too." Helen got up from her seat.

But before he could move, Rana clutched his wrist.

"Today Ranti fasts votive. It doesn't matter we're here longer. Later the rest time is just to pray and read the Quran some verses."

"But-"

"We need to talk. You can't keep believing. You've changed lately."

Hearing that unexpected sentence, Helen again slumped her body.

"You must be hiding something. Though you always say, any problem will feel lighter if we are willing to make it with others."

Helen just kept her head down, having absolutely no strength to return Rana's gaze.

"We're still friends, right?"

That instant also Helen's defense collapsed. His tears just burst forth, his back shaking so violently.

Rana quickly pulled him into the embrace. For a moment Rana didn't ask anything more. He let Helen cry like that in his arms, until the tightness in his chest subsided.

"I want to go in the hijab, Ran," Helen said later in a trembling voice.

Rana immediately took off her embrace, staring right at Helen's bead of eyes. Seeing Helen's condition, the confession just now can no longer be regarded as the wind then as it had been.

"Why?" This emotional discussion made Rana also shed tears. His fingers even shook. His chest was filled with magical feelings that had not been imprinted all this time.

"I need protection. I want to learn to take care of myself like you've been taking care of yourself."

Rana's forehead was wrinkled, a sign that he still did not understand.

"Dad forced me to be a lady escort as payment for debts that have been mounting due to gambling."

Rana gasped, her pupils dilated. "So because of that, you've been weird for a few days?"

Helen nodded while wiping her tears. "Even they don't hesitate to touch, touch my body as they please." Helen is back. "And if they lose, I become an impingement of resentment, considered an unlucky bearer."

"So that bruise on your forehead ...?"

Helen nodded faintly.

Rana rubbed gently on Helen's shoulder. He's really concerned.

"Please teach me how to worship your God." This time Helen returned Rana's gaze full of earnestness.

"What's wrong with your God?"

Helen did not answer.

"Honestly, I'm very happy to welcome this wish of yours. It feels really amazing. But if it is limited to wanting to protect yourself, from now on you can learn to wear closed clothes without having to strip off the beliefs you embrace from birth."

All this time the way Helen dressed was a bit open. The type of display that can make it difficult for men to concentrate. As a co-worker and friend, Rana had several times reprimanded him slowly.

"God only has one, right? My God and your God are the same. Maybe it's just the way we worship it that's different. For tomorrow, I want to worship Him the way you do."

Rana's tears came back. He could see it in Helen's eyes. For a moment he could say nothing.

Helen is from Toraja, whose population is predominantly non-Muslim.

"I'll live it, not them."

"Your father?"

Rana knows exactly what Helen's stepfather looks like. Dreamers who are lazy to work. Helen's salary was up with her. He never humanized Helen, especially after her mother died.

"I don't care!" firmly Helen. "He never cared about me either."

Rana grabbed Helen's hand, grasped it. "Honestly, I'm very happy. In fact, there's a magical feeling that's hard to pin down." Rana paused for a moment to wipe her tears. "But here I also try to act as a friend who is ready to offer some solutions. The next days will be very heavy, if your desire is only based on a momentary emotion. Just because I'm in serious trouble." Rana said slowly. Don't let Helen get her misunderstood.

"It's not a momentary emotion, Ran." Helen took a long breath. "Every time you hear me, I calm down. I also like to suddenly peck when the Adhan flows."

Rana certainly still remembers, before Helen ever made a similar confession. But considering Helen is indeed an expressive girl, Rana just said hamdalah without excessive response. But this time the situation is different. Something has touched the conscience of his best friend.

"Help me, Ran."

Before Helen's cries broke again, Rana pulled her into her arms.

***

After lunch, Sakura visitors are quite crowded. Most of them are hunting for unique objects in order to give a sweet surprise to the nearest person. Not only for girlfriends, because some claim to want to give it to their parents. They come to the right place, because Sakura does provide cute objects that are suitable for gifts outside special day celebrations.

Rana was busy behind the cashier's computer when Bara suddenly appeared among the visitors who were looking through the goods on the display rack. The man immediately smiled widely as he took long steps to quickly arrive in front of Rana.

"Mother Fairy."

"Mm ...."

Rana is the most uninterrupted if you are busy serving customers. Realizing that, Bara tried not to interfere anymore. He waited until the transaction that Rana was doing was completed.

"The smile was wide. What's up?" Now Rana started, after no more customers were queuing in front of her cashier table.

"More." With a smile widening, Bara thrust out a newspaper.

Without need to explain, Rana understands, the writing Bara must be loaded here. But what makes Rana excited later, the newspaper he holds now is a national newspaper, which Bara said the highest loading honor.

"Gee ...." Rana's gaze moved from the page of the newspaper containing the short story to the face of the author.

"Finally translucent too. Awesome, right?" As usual, Bara always had a distinctive style when praising himself, which was powerful to make Rana chuckle.

Rana gave her right thumb excitedly. "The result will not be betrayed. Congratulations, yes." Rana knows for sure, Bara has been eyeing this newspaper for a long time. He said, the author who managed to cram his work here is immediately respected in the online communities he follows. However, being popular is not the main purpose of Bara in writing, especially just to reap praise that is mortal. In addition to his honor is tempting, he is challenging himself.

"Anyways, tonight I'll buy you a meal, a watch, and-"

"No, Bar." Rana interrupted.

"Loh, why? We should celebrate."

"You don't want to be a person, do you?"

"So you don't think I'm a person all this time?!" Bara pretended to be shocked while wide-eyed.

Rana smiled amusedly. "I mean, from now on you have to organize your future. And you need to save for it."

"I have arranged it very well, Fairy Godmother," said Bara full of emphasis. "I stayed in college diligently, graduated on time with satisfactory grades, then enrolled CPNS, became a teacher, and continued to write outside of work hours. So, Bara in the future is a teacher and author of best seller books." The movement of Bara's hand throughout the sentence was as dramatic as the intonation of his voice.

"Amen. Therefore, mending money you canister for unexpected needs later."

"If that's for sure. But not everything. Besides I have to give a gift to myself that never gets tired of fighting."

That was the most powerful sentence that Rana could not refute at all. Then the girl can only smile, feel lucky to have a friend who is always optimistic. "So, where are we going tonight?" tanyanya.

"Nipa Mall."

Rana was expecting it. In addition to being new, the original concept offered by the mall owned by the vice president of Indonesia, Mr. Jusuf Kalla, managed to attract the attention of Makassar residents. The only mall in Makassar that has an artificial waterfall. Many visitors who feel at home just to watch the view of the water falling from the third floor, accompanied by the sound of splashes that sometimes make us forget being in the mall. It is also the only mall in Makassar to turn a rooftop into a park and build a mosque there. The presence of the mosque made Rana fall in love on his first visit. The sensation obtained while in Nipa Mall is quite lame with malls that have existed before.

"Ran, you have an event tonight?" Suddenly Bian's voice interrupted.

For a moment Rana seemed to have trouble answering.

***

[Connected]